Hearts of Stone (14 page)

32

E
ventually, as I drifted round, I got back into Gregor's sphere of influence.

‘Nick,' he said, when I got close. ‘Come and talk to me. We didn't have a chance earlier.' He was standing in the darkest corner of the room, furthest from the door, drink in one hand, long-legged blonde still attached to the other arm like a successful transplant. As I moved in closer, she fixed me with an unblinking stare from her wide blue eyes. ‘You remember Fanny don't you?' he asked.

How could I forget? ‘Of course,' I said.

‘So what do you do, Nick?'

‘I work behind the bar in a restaurant.'

‘Really. I'm in the restaurant game myself.'

‘Is that so?'

‘Sure. I own half a dozen nice places round Lewisham, Blackheath – that part of town. But they're just a sideline.' He winked and moved closer to me, dragging Fanny like a sheet anchor. ‘I make my real money in other ways. You're a friend of Brady's. You know what I'm talking about.'

‘Sure,' I said.

‘Nothing
too
heavy. Just a few fingers in a few pies.'

‘Sure,' I said again.

‘Maybe you and I could do something. Any friend of Brady's… you know what I mean. You must pay us a visit. Pop over and have a meal with me. Best in the house. Anything you want is yours.'

‘I'd like that,' I said.

‘We'll fix it up. Soon. Call me.' He unhooked Fanny and fished in his jacket pocket and came up with a pasteboard card. ‘My office number,' he said. ‘Any time. Bring someone with you. We'll make up a foursome. Just ask for me. I'm always around.'

‘Sounds good,' I said, and glanced at the card. The address was in Greenwich. I stuck it in my breast pocket.

Gregor re-attached Fanny like an intravenous drip, then something caught his eye behind me. ‘I think your friend is looking for you,' he said.

I looked over my shoulder. Jools was standing in the doorway. When she caught sight of me she waved half-heartedly.

‘I'd better go see what she wants,' I said.

‘Sure. I'll catch you later.'

‘You got it.' I left the pair and went across the room.

When I got close to Jools I could see she looked stressed out. ‘What's up?' I asked.

‘It's Roy. He's being a pain.'

‘What's the matter?'

‘Too much coke. He's been at it all day. And now the booze on top. He can be such an arsehole sometimes. Now he wants to see you. He wants you to have some. Come and help calm him down? He won't listen to any of us. He's already picked a fight with Pat and
he
went before it got serious. Roy's impossible when he's like this. Brady's worried he's going to ruin the party.'

‘I don't know what I can do,' I said.

‘Anything. Just try. He's upstairs.'

I followed her up a single flight and into what I assumed was the master bedroom. It was decorated in pastel shades and softly lit. A right passion palace. I'd bet Brady and Alfie got up to some performances in the massive double bed covered by a flower-patterned duvet. Seeley was sitting at a dark wood, glass-topped dressing table, cutting out huge lines from a mountain of coke next to the empty bottle of champagne he'd liberated from the living room downstairs. Brady was standing beside him looking well pissed off.

‘Nick,' said Seeley when we walked in. ‘I see the jailer found you.' I looked at Jools, but she just shrugged. ‘That cunt's no fun anymore. She just wants to stop me having any. Come and get it, mate. There's plenty here for my friends.' If anything, he was looking worse than when he'd arrived. The top button of his shirt was undone and his tie had been pulled loose, and the skin on his face was grey and slack and sweaty-looking.

‘What's up, Roy?' I asked.

‘Nothing's up. Who said it was?' He looked accusingly at Jools. ‘That fucking cow, I suppose.'

I ignored him. ‘Having a good time?' I asked.

‘Fucking awful. Everybody's being a drag. But now you're here it's going to get better. Take a fucking line and cool out.' He brushed two hundred quid's worth of charlie on to the carpet with the sleeve of his jacket as he gestured towards the table top and he thrust a rolled-up bank note towards me. I sat down next to him on the edge of the stool and snorted up a line. ‘Good man, Nick,' he slurred. ‘I knew you wouldn't let me down. You're from the old school. I recognised that the first time I talked to you.' Now he was getting maudlin. There's nothing worse. ‘Have some more,' he urged.

‘Not now, Roy,' I said. ‘I've had enough.'

‘There's never enough. Never enough of anything.' He leant over and put his arm round my shoulder. ‘Except fucking nagging fucking women. Isn't that right?'

‘I don't know, mate,' I replied, gently disentangling myself. ‘I don't know any.'

‘You're lucky.'

‘Why don't you have a little lie-down,' I said.

‘Lie-down. Why?'

‘You're out of it. The rest'll do you good.'

‘Am I? Will it?'

‘Yeah. Come on, I'll help you,' I said, and stood up and helped him to his feet. He was high as a kite and pissed up, and he didn't resist as I led him over to the bed, and helped him off with his jacket and he lay down. With any luck he'd pass out and remember nothing when he came to. ‘Take off his shoes,' I said to Jools.

She did as she was told, and he sighed. ‘That feels good,' he said. ‘You're a mate, Nick. Now, look after my darling for me.'

I looked at Jools again, and she shrugged once more, as if it was par for the course for him to hate her one minute, love her the next.

‘I'll do that,' I said. ‘See you later.'

‘Later,' he replied. And I herded everyone outside on to the landing and closed the door behind us.

‘Well done, Nick,' said Brady.

‘No big deal,' I said. ‘I'm sure you could have handled it yourself.'

‘I didn't want to knock him out, did I? Pat had to split before he did. Roy was calling him every slag under the sun.'

‘He gets like that,' said Jools.'

‘Sorry he was rough on you,' I said.

‘Forget it, I'm used to it,' she replied.

‘He'll sleep it off with any luck,' I said. ‘But we'd better check on him every so often.'

The other two nodded, and we went downstairs to rejoin the party. ‘I need a drink,' I said.

‘Me too,' said Jools, and we made for the booze supply. I poured a vodka for myself, and Jools asked for a scotch. Alfie had cleared away the canapés and laid out a big pot of chilli, another of rice, a tray of pitta bread and a bowl of salad.

‘Hungry?' I asked.

‘Not just now. Maybe later.'

‘Suits me,' I said. We stood and drank and chatted for half an hour or so, as the rest of the party circulated round us. Then she decided she wanted something to eat, and of course the chilli bowl was empty.

‘There's a pot on the stove,' said Alfie. ‘Help yourself.' So I collected Jools and took her into the kitchen, and that was where Seeley found us, alone. He was still looking rough, but maybe a little better. He'd put on his shoes and jacket, and adopted another bottle of champagne which he was drinking from the neck.

‘What's going on?' he demanded.

‘Just having something to eat and talking,' said Jools.

‘Make sure that's all it is,' he said.

‘Slow down,' I said. ‘You heard what she said.'

‘Who asked you?' he said nastily.

‘You did,' I said. ‘You asked me to look after her.'

‘You
did
, Roy,' said Jools. ‘Twice.'

‘Shut up, you slag,' he said.

‘Oh, Roy, don't start again. I can't stand it.'

He put his face up close to hers. I could see the foam in the corners of his mouth, and the flecks of flying spittle as he spoke. ‘I said shut up, you slag,' he said very slowly.

‘Back off, Roy,' I said. ‘Cool down, mate. Take it easy. Everything's all right.'

He poked the bottle into my chest. ‘Don't tell me. I've found her “just talking” before. But usually she's got her knickers round her ankles while she's doing it.'

Jools lifted up first one foot, then the other, and studiously looked at them. ‘Not this time, Roy,' she said. ‘And even if they were, it's none of your fucking business. Anyway, it's been such a long time since you've shown any interest in my knickers that I'd be surprised if you'd recognise a pair if you saw them. Unless you were wearing them yourself, of course.'

He hit her then. An open-handed slap around the face, with all his strength behind it, that knocked her head sideways.

So I hit him. Right on the nose, where even a light blow can cause much pain, distress, and even tears. The works. And, believe me, it wasn't a light blow. He went backwards across the kitchen, hit the oven and crashed to the floor, dropping the champagne bottle but acquiring the pan of hot chilli all over his suit in the process.

Jools looked down at him, and touched her cheek, which was already beginning to swell up. ‘I wish you hadn't done that,' she said. ‘I'll be paying it back for months.'

I leaned over him and found two reasonably chilli-free zones on the lapels of his jacket, and hauled him to his feet. ‘If I hear,' I said, as slowly as he'd spoken to her, ‘that you've touched her because of what I did, I'll do it again. And again, until you stop. Understand?'

He looked at me with an expression that said I had made a
bad
enemy.

I let go of his lapels and pushed him away. ‘
Understand
?' I asked again.

He nodded. But I knew he was already thinking of ways to get even.

‘Now go and clean yourself up,' I said.

He looked down at his ruined clothes, and then at me, and then at Jools. He left the kitchen without a word.

Jools sighed and followed him.

Twenty seconds later Alfie swished in and looked at the wreckage of the kitchen. ‘Sorry,' I said. ‘It was an accident.'

‘You didn't intend to hit him, you mean?'

‘I meant to hit him all right. But I didn't mean for
him
to hit the main course.'

‘Typical,' said Alfie sniffily, and found a mop and bucket and started cleaning up.

Twenty seconds after that, Brady arrived on the scene. ‘What the fuck did you do that for?' he demanded.

Everybody who came into the kitchen seemed to be full of questions.

‘He asked for it,' I said.

‘He's our contact.'

‘He's
your
contact. And he was too fisty with her.'

‘So who died and made you a knight in shining armour? It's none of your fucking business what he does with her. Fucking stupid bitch probably asked for it. This is just what I
didn't
want to happen. You've probably blown it, son. That's what you've done.'

Alfie was listening hard throughout our brief conversation.

‘And what are you going to do with her now?' asked Brady.

‘Nothing. What am I supposed to do with her? We were only talking.'

‘Oh,' he said, drawing it out like you would if you were talking to someone a little slow on the uptake. ‘Are you stupid or what? I bet she knew that talking to you would get him at it – state he was in. You mug.'

‘Bollocks,' I said. ‘He asked me to take care of her. Then he went on the bloody turn when I did. His fucking brain's gone. Too much booze and coke. Where is he? I'll sort him out.'

‘Not tonight you won't. He's hopped it.'

‘What?'

‘You heard. Hopped it. Left. Fucked off in his motor. Get my drift?'

‘Oh shit.'

‘Oh shit is right. You started it. You finish it. I've got to sort him out tomorrow. We've got a deal on, remember?'

At that juncture Jools came back into the kitchen. ‘He's gone,' she said.

‘So I believe,' I replied.

‘So I'm with
you
now.'

‘What?'

‘You heard.'

‘Hold on. He's your bloke. Go home and make up. I'll call you a cab.'

‘What fucking planet do you come from?' she demanded. ‘He's not my bloke, as you so nicely put it. He hasn't been for months. You saw the way he was tonight. And if you think I'm going round there on me tod tonight to get a good kicking from that bastard, because you hit him, you'd better think again. You're the one who done him. It's down to you.' Her accent was moving freely from the West to the East End the more agitated she got.